72nd Guards Joint Training Centre

Last updated
6th Guards Rifle Division (1941–1945)
15th Guards Mechanized Division (1945–1957)
47th Guards Tank Division (1957–1960)
47th Guards Tank Training Division (1960–1965)
45th Guards Tank Training Division (1965–1987)
72nd Guards District Training Centre (1987–1991)
72nd Guards Joint Training Centre (1991–present)
Avc simval.jpg
Active1941–present
CountryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union (to 1991)
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus (1992–present)
TypeInfantry, Tank (former)
Training unit (current)
Garrison/HQ Borisov
Engagements World War II
Decorations
Battle honours Rivne
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Vadim Surov
Notable
commanders		 Dmitry Onuprienko

The 72nd Guards Joint Training Centre is a training centre of the Belarus Armed Forces. It trains warrant officers and junior specialists for the Belarus Armed Forces and is based in Borisov. The 72nd Guards Joint Training Centre traces its history back to the Soviet 120th Rifle Division. For its actions during the Yelnya Offensive, the division became the 6th Guards Rifle Division in September 1941. In November 1945, the division became the 15th Guards Mechanized Division. [1] On 15 May 1957, it became the 47th Guards Tank Division. The division became a training unit in 1960 and was renamed the 45th Guards Tank Training Division in 1965. In 1987, it became the 72nd Guards District Training Centre. In 1992, it was taken over by Belarus and became the 72nd Guards Joint Training Centre. [2]

Contents

World War II

On 26 September 1941, the 120th Rifle Division (First Formation), under the command of Major General Konstantin Ivanovich Petrov, became the 6th Guards Rifle Division for its actions in the Yelnya Offensive. [3] [4]

Due to the German breakthrough in the Sevsk area on 2 October, the 1st Guards Special Rifle Corps was formed. It consisted of the 6th Guards Rifle Division as well as the 5th Guards Rifle Division and two tank brigades. [5] The corps was assembled around Mtsensk and the 6th Guards Rifle Division arrived at the railway station there on 6 October. [6] After the German capture of Oryol, the corps was ordered to mount a counterattack to stop the German advance. The division, along with other units of the corps, fought actions around Mtsensk that delayed the German advance for two weeks. [7] [8] [9]

In November, the division became part of the 3rd Army. It was positioned around Yefremov, which was captured by German troops on 22 November. [10] The division fought in counterattacks to reclaim the city over the following weeks. [11] The division finally pushed the German troops out of the city on 12 December. Continuing to advance, the division captured Novosil on 27 December. Starting on 8 January 1942, the division fought in the Bolkhov-Mtsensk Offensive, attempting to break through German defences on the Oka River in the Krivtsovo-Chegodaeva-Gorodische area. The division was unable to advance and suffered heavy losses. On 13 February, division commander Major General Petrov was mortally wounded by machine-gun fire from a German aircraft. [12] The offensive was called off on 18 March. [13]

Three days later, the division became part of the Bryansk Front reserve. From May for a year onwards, the division fought in local battles within the Oryol Oblast as part of the 48th Army. In May 1943, the division became part of Central Front's 13th Army and was transferred to Ponyri, where it took up defensive positions. Ponyri was located at the northern end of the Kursk bulge and the division occupied the second line, behind the 15th Rifle Division. German troops began the first attack of the Battle of Kursk on 5 July, breaking through the 15th Rifle Division's positions while suffering heavy losses. By the end of the day, the 6th Guards Rifle Division was defending the Ponyri railroad station, against German armored units. The division continued to defend the station against repeated German assaults for the next five days. On 7 July, the German 9th Panzer Division captured part of the forest of Berezovy Log from the division but took half the day to capture the rest of Ponyri from the neighboring 307th Rifle Division. [14] [15] However, the 307th and 6th Guards Rifle Divisions counterattacked after a costly German attack on 9 July and recaptured Ponyri. Due to their losses, the German troops were forced to end their offensive on the next day. [16] According to Soviet accounts, the division had killed or wounded 8,800 German troops, destroyed 254 tanks and self-propelled guns, including 23 Tiger and Panther tanks. They also reportedly shot down five German planes. For its actions at Kursk, the division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. [17]

The division continued to fight in combat and participated in Operation Kutuzov, [18] in which it led the attack on Dmitrovsk. In late August, the division fought in the Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive (part of the Chernigov-Poltava Offensive). After breaking through German defences, the division advanced toward Glukhov and Rylsk. [16] During the offensive, the division captured parts of Sumy and Chernigov Oblasts, including Shostka. The division was introduced into the breach in the German lines created by the 60th Army's advance. It advanced in the direction of Bakhmach and Nizhyn. After crossing the Seym River on 8 September, the division advanced to cross the Desna River north of Oster on 20 September. By the next day it was on the Dnieper near Chernobyl. Since German troops were prepared for an attempt to cross the Dnieper there, division commander Major General Dmitry Onuprienko decided to march the division northwards and cross the river there at night. The division crossed the Dnieper near Teremtsy village without meeting resistance. Continuing to advance, the division crossed the Pripyat River before dawn and created a bridgehead in the area of Opachychi. There, the division faced strong German resistance but was able to hold the positions until the rest of the 17th Guards Rifle Corps could cross by 29 September, allowing the corps to capture Pripyat. For his actions during the offensive, division commander Major General Dmitry Onuprienko was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. [19] Until the capture of Kiev on 6 November, the division fought to capture the Pripyat area. It was then transferred to the Korosten area but was unable to capture Korosten. [20] The division then fought in the Kiev offensive operation in early November and the Kiev Defensive Operation for the rest of November and most of December. From 24 December to 14 January 1944, the division fought in the Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive. [17]

The division captured Rivne during the Rivne-Lutsk Offensive on 2 February in conjunction with the 8th Guards Cavalry Division and 112th Rifle Division, [21] receiving the title "Rivne" for its actions. The division then advanced towards Dubno but was unable to capture it and briefly went on the defensive. [22] During March and April, the division fought in the Proskurov-Chernivtsi Offensive, during which it captured Berestechko. Beginning on 13 July, the division fought in the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive, [23] during which it crossed the Bug, San and Vistula rivers. On 9 August, the division was awarded the Order of Suvorov 2nd class for crossing the Vistula. [2] After the end of the offensive in late August, the division fought to hold the Sandomierz bridgehead. In January 1945, the Soviet troops renewed the attack in the Sandomierz-Silesian Offensive. On 26 January, the division seized a bridgehead over the Oder and held it against German counterattacks for three days. [24] From 8 February, they fought in the Lower Silesian Offensive. Continuing to advance, the division fought in the Berlin Offensive. It captured Zahna on 22 April. [24] After the 1st Ukrainian Front was transferred from Berlin, the division fought in the Prague Offensive. The division ended the war in or around Prague. [17] On 28 May, it was awarded the Order of Lenin for crossing the Oder. [2]

Cold War

On 11 November 1945, the division was converted into the 15th Guards Mechanized Division. On 27 May 1946, it moved as part of the 3rd Guards Rifle Corps to the Belarusian Military District. The division was relocated to Borisov as part of the 41st Rifle Corps on 26 April 1947. On 20 May 1948, it became part of the 7th Tank Army. On 15 May 1957, the division became the 47th Guards Tank Division. It became a tank training division on 2 August 1960. On 11 January 1965, it became the 45th Guards Tank Training Division. Viktor Chechevatov commanded the division from 1982. On 30 November 1987, it became the 72nd Guards District Training Center.

Belarus

Taken over by Belarus with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it became the 72nd Guards Joint Training Center for junior specialists on 30 November 1992. In 2001, the training center changed its name to reflect that it now also trained warrant officers and adopted its current structure. [25] [1] As part of the reform of the Armed Forces in 2005, a transition was made to a centralized system for training junior specialists in a new organizational structure. [26] [27]

Commanders

The division was commanded by the following officers: [3] [27]

Composition

The 6th Guards Rifle Division was composed of the following units during World War II. [31]

The 45th Guards Tank Training Division was composed of the following units in 1970. [32]

Today, the joint training centre contains multiple schools responsible for training, as well as two separate battalions. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Guards Combined Arms Army</span> Russian Ground Forces formation

The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a successor to the 8th Guards Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which was formed during World War II and was disbanded in 1998 after being downsized into a corps. Military Unit в/ч 61877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Guards Tank Corps</span> Tank corps of the Soviet military

The 2nd Guards Tatsinskaya Tank Corps was a tank corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army that saw service during World War II on the Eastern Front of Europe. The unit's most notable moment was in the raid on Tatsinskaya during Operation Little Saturn in World War II. After the war, it continued to serve with the Soviet occupation forces in Central Europe. It was originally the 24th Tank Corps. The formation had approximately the same size and combat power as a Wehrmacht Panzer Division, and less than a British Armoured Division had during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">90th Guards Lvov Tank Division (1985–1997)</span> Armored division of the Soviet Army

The 90th Guards Tank Division was a division of the Soviet Army, and then of the Russian Ground Forces.

The 75th Guards Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division during World War II and afterwards, which later became the 75th Guards Tank Division and was finally disbanded in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Guards Berlin-Carpathian Mechanized Brigade</span> Military unit

The 11th Guards Mechanized Brigade is a unit of the Armed Forces of Belarus based in Slonim. The 11th Guards Brigade traces its history back to the 1942 formation of the 6th Tank Corps of the Soviet Army during World War II.

The 5th Mechanised Corps was a mechanised corps of the Red Army, formed on three occasions. It was first formed in 1934 and was converted into the 15th Tank Corps in 1938. It was reformed in the Far East in 1940 and moved west before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It fought in the First Battle of Smolensk, losing large numbers of tanks in the Lepel counterattack. The corps was encircled in the Smolensk pocket and after breaking out was disbanded in late August 1941. Its third formation, from elements of the 22nd Tank Corps, occurred in September 1942. The corps fought in: Operation Little Saturn, Operation Gallop, the Second Battle of Smolensk, the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, and the Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. In September 1944, it became the 9th Guards Mechanised Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasily Arkhipov (general)</span> Red Army

Vasily Sergeyevich Arkhipov was an officer in the tank troops of the Red Army who was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his actions in the Winter War and World War II. He rose to the rank of colonel general during the Cold War.

The 48th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army, active from 1941 to 1945. The army was first formed in August 1941 and fought in the Leningrad Strategic Defensive Operation. The army suffered heavy losses and was disbanded in early September. Its remnants were moved to the 54th Army. Reformed in April 1942 on the Bryansk Front, the army fought in the Maloarkhangelsk Offensive in the winter of 1943. It was sent to the Central Front in March and defended the northern face of the Kursk Bulge. During the summer, it fought in Operation Kutuzov and the Chernigov-Pripyat Offensive. From November, the army fought in the Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive. The army fought in Operation Bagration from June 1944. During the offensive, the army captured Zhlobin and Bobruisk and was on the Narew by early September. During early 1945, the army fought in the East Prussian Offensive and ended the war in East Prussia during May. The army was transferred to Poland in July 1945 and its headquarters was used to form the Kazan Military District in September.

The 70th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in February, 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 138th Rifle Division in recognition of that division's actions during the battle, and served in that role until well after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

The 307th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as a standard Red Army rifle division, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. The division distinguished itself in the intense defensive fighting around the village of Ponyri during the Battle of Kursk. It was credited with the liberation of the town of Novozybkov on September 25, 1943. After battling its way through eastern Belarus during the autumn and winter of 1943–44, and then helping complete its liberation during Operation Bagration, it was moved to East Prussia, where it took part in the Battle of Königsberg in the spring of 1945, ending the war on the Baltic coast near the Zemland Peninsula. In the course of these campaigns the 307th compiled a battle record to rival a Guards unit but was nevertheless disbanded on the second-last day of 1945.

The 37th Guards "Rechitsa" Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army which fought during World War II.

The 50th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army from 1936 to 1946. The division took part in the Soviet invasion of Poland and the Winter War. After Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the 50th fought in the Battle of Moscow, the Battles of Rzhev, the Donbass Strategic Offensive, the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, the First and Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, the Vistula–Oder Offensive and the Berlin Offensive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filipp Cherokmanov</span> Soviet Army lieutenant general

Filipp Mikhailovich Cherokmanov was a Soviet Army lieutenant general and Hero of the Soviet Union. Cherokmanov joined the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. During the interwar period, Cherokmanov became an officer and commanded the 148th Rifle Division from 1939. He led the division through the Battle of Smolensk and the Battle of Moscow. In February 1942 he became commander of the 6th Guards Rifle Division and was promoted to major general. During summer 1943, he became the commander of the 27th Rifle Corps. Cherokmanov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership during the Battle of the Dnieper. He led the corps through the rest of the war, including in the Berlin Offensive. Postwar, Cherokmanov commanded the 29th Guards Rifle Corps, 3rd Army and 7th Guards Army. After becoming deputy commander of the Turkestan Military District, Cherokmanov retired in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Grishin</span> Soviet military commander

Ivan Tikhonovich Grishin was a Soviet Army Colonel general and Hero of the Soviet Union. Grishin enlisted in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War and fought against the Tambov Rebellion. He became an officer and graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in 1936. In October 1940, he became the commander of the 137th Rifle Division, which he led through the World War II battles of Smolensk and Moscow. Grishin became 50th Army chief of staff and in April 1943 transferred to the same position in the 11th Guards Army. Soon after, he became 49th Army commander and led the army through the Smolensk Operation, Operation Bagration, the East Prussian Offensive and the Berlin Offensive at the end of the war. Postwar, Grishin commanded the 6th Guards Army. In 1946, he became the head of combat training for the Ground Forces. Grishin died in 1951 in Moscow.

The 166th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army that fought in World War II, formed twice. The division's first formation was formed in 1939 and wiped out in the Vyazma Pocket in October 1941. In January 1942, the division reformed. It fought in the Battle of Demyansk, the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation, Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive, Polotsk Offensive, Šiauliai Offensive, Riga Offensive and the Battle of Memel. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The 1st Guards Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Army from 1945 to 1947, stationed in Neuruppin. It was formed in the spring of 1942 as the 26th Tank Corps. The corps fought in Operation Uranus and became the 1st Guards Tank Corps, being redesignated as a reward for its actions in December 1942. It fought in Operation Gallop, the Third Battle of Kharkov, Operation Kutuzov, Operation Bagration, the East Prussian Offensive, the East Pomeranian Offensive and the Berlin Offensive. During the East Prussian Offensive, the division captured Mława, Działdowo and Płońsk and was awarded the Order of Lenin for its actions. The division had been awarded the honorific "Don" for its actions in Operation Gallop. It also was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov 2nd class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexey Rodin</span> Soviet Army colonel general

Alexey Grigoryevich Rodin was a Soviet Army colonel general and Hero of the Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasily Koptsov</span>

Vasily Alexeyevich Koptsov was a Soviet major general of the Red Army and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frants Perkhorovich</span>

Frants Iosifovich Perkhorovich was a Belarusian Soviet Army lieutenant general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Yenshin</span>

Mikhail Alexandrovich Yenshin was a Soviet Army lieutenant general and a Hero of the Soviet Union.

References

  1. 1 2 Main, Steven J. (2004). Belarus' 72nd Guards Unified Training Centre for NCO's and Junior Specialists. Surrey: Conflict Studies Research Centre Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. ISBN   1-904423-87-6.
  2. 1 2 3 "ex-Press.by | новости Борисова | реклама Борисов | новости Беларуси | мировые новости | актуальные новости" [Today marks 66 years since the division relocated to Borisov]. ex-press.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  3. 1 2 "6-я Краснознаменная Ровенская гвардейская стрелковая дивизия" [6th Guards Rivne Red Banner Rifle Division]. rkka.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  4. ↑ "Стрелковые 106–120 |" [Rifle Divisions 106–120]. myfront.in.ua (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  5. ↑ Isaev, Alexey (2005). Котлы 41-го. История ВОВ, которую мы не знали [Cauldron 41: The History of World War II, we did not know] (in Russian). Moscow: Yauza. ISBN   5699128999.
  6. ↑ Zetterling, Niklas; Frankson, Anders (2013-05-07). The Drive on Moscow, 1941. Open Road Media. ISBN   9781480406629.
  7. ↑ Lopukhovsky, Lev (2013-08-01). The Viaz'ma Catastrophe, 1941: The Red Army's Disastrous Stand against Operation Typhoon. Helion and Company. p. 160. ISBN   9781908916501.
  8. ↑ Samsonov, A.M., ed. (1966). Провал гитлеровского наступления на Москву [The failure of Hitler's attack on Moscow] (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka.
  9. ↑ Lelyushenko, Dmitry (1987). Москва-Сталинград-Берлин-Прага. Записки командарма [Moscow, Stalingrad, Berlin Prague: Notes of a commander] (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka.
  10. ↑ Sokolovsky, Vasily, ed. (1964). Разгром немецко-фашистских войск под Москвой [The defeat of Nazi troops near Moscow] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.
  11. ↑ Битва за Москву [Battle for Moscow] (in Russian). Moscow: Moskovsky Rabochy. 1966.
  12. ↑ Maslov, Aleksander A.; Glantz, David M. (1998-01-01). Fallen Soviet Generals: Soviet General Officers Killed in Battle, 1941–1945. Taylor & Francis. p. 46. ISBN   9780714643465.
  13. ↑ "Полищук Иван Михайлович" [Polishchuk Ivan Mikhailovich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  14. ↑ Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan Mallory (1999-01-01). The Battle of Kursk. University Press of Kansas. ISBN   9780700609789.
  15. ↑ Glantz, David M.; Orenstein, Harold Steven; shtab, Soviet Union Raboche-Krestʹi͡anskai͡a Krasnai͡a Armii͡a Generalʹnyĭ (1999-01-01). The Battle for Kursk, 1943: The Soviet General Staff Study. Psychology Press. ISBN   9780714649337.
  16. 1 2 "Гасников Михаил Иванович" [Gasnikov Mikhail Ivanovich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  17. 1 2 3 "Малофеев Иван Филиппович" [Malofeyev Ivan Filippovich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  18. ↑ Demin, Nikita (1972). Война и люди [War and People] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.
  19. ↑ "От Орла до Борисова | Во славу Родины – Свежий выпуск" [From Oryol to Borisov]. vsr.mil.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  20. ↑ "Мануйлов Василий Иванович" [Manuilov Vasily]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  21. ↑ Yakubovsky, Ivan (1975). Земля в огне [Earth on Fire] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.
  22. ↑ Grylev, Anatoly (1970). Днепр-Карпаты-Крым [Dnieper-Carpathian Crimea] (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka.
  23. ↑ Glantz, David; Orenstein, Harold S. (2012-12-06). The Battle for L'vov July 1944: The Soviet General Staff Study. Routledge. ISBN   9781135783075.
  24. 1 2 "ИВАНОВ Георгий Васильевич |" [Ivanov Georgy Vasilyevich]. myfront.in.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  25. ↑ "6-я Гвардейская стрелковая дивизия – Дислокация и подчиненность 6-й Гв. стр. дивизии" [6th Guards Rifle Division Renaming and Movement]. 6divizia.ucoz.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  26. ↑ https://niivs.mil.by/ru/announces/12078/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. 1 2 https://www.ais.mil.by/ru/education/72/history/#close.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ "New Appointments | Official Website of Belarus MoD". www.mil.by. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  29. 1 2 "Организационная структура | Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь" [Organizational Structure | Military information portal of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus]. www.mil.by (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  30. ↑ "Руководящий состав 72 гв. ОУЦ ПП и МС | Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь" [Leaders of the 72 Guards. CLC PP and MS | Military information portal of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus]. www.mil.by (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  31. ↑ "6 ГВАРДЕЙСКАЯ СТРЕЛКОВАЯ ДИВИЗИЯ" [6th Guards Rifle Division]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  32. ↑ Holm, Michael. "45th Guards Training Tank Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.